Marrakech Region

MarrakechMarrakesh, or Marrakech (Berber: Merrakec, ⵎⴻⵔⵔⴰⴽⴻⵛ; Arabic: مراكش‎, Murrākuš) (pronounced Marra-kesh), is a major city in the northwest African nation of Morocco. With a population of 794,620 and 1,063,415 in the metropolitan area according to the 2004 census,[2] it is Morocco's fourth largest city after Casablanca, Fes and Rabat, and the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. By road, Marrakesh is located 580 km (360 mi) southwest of Tangier, 327 km (203 mi) southwest of the Moroccan capital of Rabat, 239 km (149 mi) southwest of Casablanca, and 246 km (153 mi) northeast of Agadir.
Marrakesh is the most important of the four former imperial cities in the history of Morocco. Inhabited by Berber farmers from Neolithic times, the city was founded in 1062 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, chieftain and cousin of Yusuf ibn Tashfin. Led by the Almoravids, many mosques including the Koutoubia Mosque and madrasas (Koranic schools) were built here during the 12th century with Andalusian influence. The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122-1123, and various buildings constructed during this period have given the city the nickname of the "Red City" or "Ochre City" because of the red sandstone used. Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa; Jemaa el-Fnaa is the busiest square in Africa. After a period of decline, the city was surpassed by Fez, in the early 16th century, Marrakesh again became the capital of the kingdom and reestablished its former glory especially during the reigns of the wealthy Saadian sultans Abu Abdallah al-Qaim and Ahmad al-Mansur who embellished the city with sumptuous palaces such as the El Badi Palace (1578), and restored many ruined monuments. As a centre for sufism, the city became known for its "Seven Saints". In 1912 the French Protectorate in Morocco was established and T'hami El Glaoui, known as "Lord of the Atlas", became Pasha of Marrakesh, a post he held virtually throughout the 44 year duration of the Protectorate, dominating the city and living a lavish lifestyle. In 2009, Fatima Zahra Mansouri became only the second woman in Morocco's history to be elected mayor of a city.[3]

AmezmizAmizmiz (أمزميز AMZ-meez) is a small town in Morocco approximately 55 kilometers south of Marrakech. It lies at the foot of the High Atlas mountain range.
Its population of approximately 11,000 [1] consists mainly of Berbers of Chleuh origin who speak the Shilha dialect. Its weekly souk every Tuesday is well known in the area.Geographically and economically, Amizmiz acts as a juncture point between the many small Berber villages in the surrounding area. The weekly souk is an important part of this economic role, as individual Berber farmers from the hills surrounding Amizmiz bring their produce and livestock to sell and, in return, purchase packaged food items like tea and sugarâ€”items brought in from Marrakech by local merchants.

Atlas MountainHigh Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas Mountains (Arabic: الاطلس الكبير‎ and French: Haut Atlas) is a mountain range in central Morocco in Northern Africa.
The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly and makes an impressive transition to the coast and the Anti-Atlas range. To the north, in the direction of Marrakech, the range descends less abruptly.
The range includes Jbel Toubkal, which at 4,167 m is the highest in the range and lies in Toubkal National Park. The range serves as a weather system barrier in Morocco running east-west and separating the Sahara's climatic influences, which are particularly pronounced in the summer, from the more Mediterranean climate to the north, resulting in dramatic changes in temperature across the range. In the higher elevations in the range snow falls regularly, allowing winter sports. Snow lasts well into late spring in the High Atlas, mostly on the northern faces of the range.
The High Atlas forms the basins for a multiplicity of river systems. The majority of the year-round rivers flow to the north, providing the basis for the settlements there. A number of wadis and seasonal rivers terminate in the deserts to the south and plateaux to the east of the mountains.